Tihomir of Rascia
Encyclopedia
Tihomir of Rascia was a Serbian
nobleman, mentioned only in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja
, who served as the Prince of Rascia from around 960 to 969.
, the Sava river
and the Morava valley.
The Magyars led by Kisa invaded Bosnia. The Serbian army advanced and met them them on the banks of river Drina
, in the Drina župania, downstream from present-day Foča
.
The Magyars were decisively defeated, and Kisa was killed by Tihomir.
Due to his heroism, Časlav appointed Tihomir Duke of Drina and gave him his daughter in marriage.
With an "unknown number" of troops, the widow returned and surprised Časlav at Syrmia
.
The Magyars attack the Serbs in the night, capturing Časlav and all of his male relatives.
On the command of Kisa's widow, all the prisoners were bound by their hands and feet and thrown into the Sava river
.
This event is dated to around 960 or thereafter, as 'De Administrando Imperio' does not mention his death.
Through his marriage with Časlav's daughter, Tihomir inherited the crownland of Rascia
.
The Catepanate of Ras was established between 971–976, during the rule of John Tzimiskes (r. 969–976).
A seal of a strategos
of Ras has been dated to Tzimiskes' reign, making it possible for Tzimiskes' predecessor Nikephoros II Phokas to have enjoyed recognition in Rascia.
The protospatharios and katepano of Ras was a Byzantine governor named John.
Data on the katepano of Ras during Tzimiskes' reign is missing.
Byzantine military presence ended soon thereafter with the wars with Bulgaria
, and was re-established only ca. 1018 with the short-lived Theme of Sirmium, which however did not extend much into Rascia proper.
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
nobleman, mentioned only in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja
Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja
The Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja is a medieval chronicle originally written by a Catholic monk of the Cistercian order by the name of Roger for the Croatian Ban Paul Šubić because an order form by Ban Šubić and a quote of Catholic monk have been discovered...
, who served as the Prince of Rascia from around 960 to 969.
Background
Tihomir's predecessor Časlav (r. 927-960) had united several Slavic tribes, expanding Serbia which then extended between the shores of the Adriatic SeaAdriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
, the Sava river
Sava River
The Sava is a river in Southeast Europe, a right side tributary of the Danube river at Belgrade. Counting from Zelenci, the source of Sava Dolinka, it is long and drains of surface area. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia, along the northern border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and through Serbia....
and the Morava valley.
The Magyars led by Kisa invaded Bosnia. The Serbian army advanced and met them them on the banks of river Drina
Drina
The Drina is a 346 kilometer long river, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed...
, in the Drina župania, downstream from present-day Foča
Foca
Foča is a town and municipality in southeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Drina river, in the Foča Region of the Republika Srpska entity.-Early history:...
.
The Magyars were decisively defeated, and Kisa was killed by Tihomir.
Due to his heroism, Časlav appointed Tihomir Duke of Drina and gave him his daughter in marriage.
Succession to Rascia
Kisa's widow asked the Magyar leaders to give her an army for revenge.With an "unknown number" of troops, the widow returned and surprised Časlav at Syrmia
Syrmia
Syrmia is a fertile region of the Pannonian Plain in Europe, between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia in the east and Croatia in the west....
.
The Magyars attack the Serbs in the night, capturing Časlav and all of his male relatives.
On the command of Kisa's widow, all the prisoners were bound by their hands and feet and thrown into the Sava river
Sava River
The Sava is a river in Southeast Europe, a right side tributary of the Danube river at Belgrade. Counting from Zelenci, the source of Sava Dolinka, it is long and drains of surface area. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia, along the northern border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and through Serbia....
.
This event is dated to around 960 or thereafter, as 'De Administrando Imperio' does not mention his death.
Through his marriage with Časlav's daughter, Tihomir inherited the crownland of Rascia
Rascia
Rascia was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages...
.
Later annexation of Rascia by Byzantium
Tihomir's reign ended around 969.The Catepanate of Ras was established between 971–976, during the rule of John Tzimiskes (r. 969–976).
A seal of a strategos
Strategos
Strategos, plural strategoi, is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
of Ras has been dated to Tzimiskes' reign, making it possible for Tzimiskes' predecessor Nikephoros II Phokas to have enjoyed recognition in Rascia.
The protospatharios and katepano of Ras was a Byzantine governor named John.
Data on the katepano of Ras during Tzimiskes' reign is missing.
Byzantine military presence ended soon thereafter with the wars with Bulgaria
Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria
The Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria lasted from 968 to 1018, and was a military conflict that marked the beginning of the second apogee of the Byzantine Empire, which managed to incorporate most of the Balkan Peninsula, controlled by the First Bulgarian Empire, ridding itself of one of its most...
, and was re-established only ca. 1018 with the short-lived Theme of Sirmium, which however did not extend much into Rascia proper.
Footnotes
Further reading
- Constantine PorphyrogenitusConstantine VIIConstantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 913 to 959...
, De Administrando Imperio, edited by Gy. Moravcsik and translated by R. J. H. Jenkins, Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, Washington D. C., 1993 - J. B. Bury, History of the Eastern Empire from the Fall of Irene to the Accession of Basil: A.D. 802-867. ISBN 1605204218, 9781605204215. Google Books
- Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-89452-4.
- Ćorović, VladimirVladimir CorovicVladimir Ćorović was a 20th-century Serbian historian, member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts . He is best known for his many acclaimed works on the history of Serbs and Yugoslavia.-Early:...
, Istorija srpskog naroda, Book I, (In Serbian) Electric Book, Rastko Electronic Book, Antikvarneknjige (Cyrillic)- Drugi Period, IV: Pokrštavanje Južnih Slovena
- The Serbs, ISBN 0631204717, 9780631204718. Wiley-Blackwell, 2004, Google Books.
- Tibor Živković, Forging Unity The South Slavs between East and West 550-1150
- Ferjančić, B. 1997, "Basile I et la restauration du pouvoir byzantin au IXème siècle", Zbornik radova Vizantološkog instituta, no. 36, pp. 9–30.
- L. von Südland, Fedor Pucek, Južnoslavensko pitanje: prikaz cjelokupnog pitanja, Hrvatska Demokratska Stranka, 1990 Google Books
- Stevan SremacStevan SremacStevan Sremac was a Serbian realist and comedy writer. He is considered one of the best truly humorous Serbian writers.-Biography:...
, Veliki župan Časlav, Sabrana dela Stevana Sremca ;, knj. 5